Pneumatic mattress



May 14, 1963 P. F. 8086 PNEUMATIC MATTRESS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 1, 1961 INVENTOR PAUL F. 5

May 14, 1963 P. F. 5056 PNEUMATIC MATTRESS Filed June 1, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR PAUL F. 505a Att ys.

United States Patent F PNEUMATIC MATTRESS Paul Francois Bose, Villefranche-de-Rouergue (Aveyron), France, assignor to Etablissements Youpa-La, Dijon (Cote-dOr), France, a French company Filed June 1, 1961, Ser. No. 114,194 Claims priority, application France June 7, 1960 Claims. (Cl. 5-448) has for its object a pneumatic mattress which fulfils a double purpose: to improve the comfort of the person lying on it, and in the case of a baby or a sick person subject to enuresis, to avoid the bed remaining wet.

A matteress in accordance w'th the invention is essentially characterized by the combination of a pneumatic envelope, made of a non-porous and impermeable flexible material of the same size as the mattress, the inflatable portions of which leave a non-inflatable portion so as to form a container, at least at the position of the body, and of a removable overlay formed by a perforated non-porous flexible sheet which is fixed to the said envelope in such manner as to be stretched above the said container by the inflation of the said inflatable portions on which it is supported.

The container may be divided by an inflatable tubular portion forming an intermediate support. The overlay may be constituted by the upper portion of a cover enclosing the envelope. It may be permanently fixed to one side of the envelope and detachably secured to the opposite side.

The invention '11 be described in the text below, with reference to forms of embodiment given by way of example .and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the inflatable envelope of a mattress in accordance with the invention, following a first form of embodiment.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are cross-sections taken IIII and III-III respectively of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a cover intended to form the overlay of the mattress shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 shows the pneumatic mattress cover shown in FIG. 4.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are cross-sections taken along the lines VI-VI and VII-VII respectively of FIG. 5.

FIG 8. is a perspective view of the inflatable envelope of a mattress according to the invention, in a further form of embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a partial view with a cross-section of the inflatable envelope shown in FIG. 8, fitted with its overlay.

The mattress illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 7 is, by its proportions, more particularly intended for a baby. It comprises an inflatable envelope (FIGS. 1 to 3), formed by two rectangular sheets of rubberized canvas .1 which are stuck to each other on the hat along a peripheral edge 2, and in certain other parts so as to de-limit inflatable portions.

The head of the mattress comprises an inflatable portion 3 in the form of a cushion defined by the edge 2 and by a stuck transverse band 4; it is shaped by folding the canvas at the angles of this portoin. A valve 3a is provided to permit inflation of this cushion. The remainder of the mattress, corresponding to the length of the body, comprises a continuous inflatable portion 5 forming a rectangular frame around a non-inflatable portion 6. A valve 5a enables this frame to be inflated and thereby forms a bottom container 6.

The mattress is completed by a removable cover 7 (FIG. 4) of appropriate dimensions so as to enclose the portion of the mattress forming the container, as clearly The present invention along the lines 1 fitted with the shown in FIGS. 5 to 7. This cover, made of a wide strip of rubberized canvas, the extremities of which are stuck together at 8, is provided with perforations 9 in the portion 10 which will cover the container in order to form the bed overlay. It is placed in position round the mattress before the frame 5 is inflated, so that the inflation of this latter stretches the cover over the container at a distance from the bottom 6 of this container.

The mattress thus composed is very comfortable for a baby, in View of the flexibility of the over-ay 10 stretched over the sides of the inflated frame. Furthermore, the baby remains 'dry, since the urine which is passed goes through the perforations 9 of the overlay and is collected in the container portion. The latter may furthermore be lined with an absorbent and deodorant material. When the bed is re-made, the cover is removed and the container of the envelope can very conveniently be cleaned and washed.

In the form of embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the mattress has proportions suitable for an adult person. The two walls of the envelope are constituted by rectangular sheets of flexible plastic material formed into shape while hot, so as to 'avoid any formation of folds at the angles of the dish-shaped depression 6. To provide a better support for the overlay stretched over the envelope, the width of the container portion is divided by an inflatable portion in the form of a longitudinal tube 11. The head portion 3 of the mattress forming a cushion may be in communication with the inflatable portions 5 and 11, so that they can all be inflated from a single valve. The upper and lower walls of the head portion may be joined together here and there by internal bellows folds which divide the surface into parallel rolls 12.

The mattress may be symmetrical in thickness as in the first for-m of embodiment, or alternatively the lower sheet 13. of the envelope (FIG. 9) may be flat and reinforced by transverse whalebones 14. The bed overlay may be formed as previously by the upper wall of a cover passed round the mattress. If the bottom is flat and stiffened by whalebones, it is also possible to constitute the overlay by a sheet 15, welded along one side to the envelope and attached to the envelope on the other side by a zip fastener 16. Tabs 17, fixed to the envelope and provided with buttonholes, enable a permeable nonporous draw-sheet 18 to be attached over the overlay. A draw-sheet of this kind may be of material Woven from thread of artificial material extruded directly to the denier required so as not to comprise free fibres which could retain the liquid by capillary action.

What I claim is:

1. A pneumatic mattress comprising a pneumatic envelope of a nonporous and impermeable flexible material having inflatable head and body support portions, a noninflatable portion in said body support portion shaped to provide a receptacle having a flat bottom wall and upstanding side walls when the body support portion is inflated, and a resilient, perforated, nonporous sheet removably secured only to said body support portion and over-lying said receptacle, said sheet being stretched by the inflation of said body support portion on which it is supported so as to be capable of resiliently supporting a body above said bottom wall of the receptacle.

2. A pneumatic mattress as claimed in claim 1 in which said receptacle is divided by an inflatable tubular portion forming an intermediate support.

3. A pneumatic mattress as claimed in claim 1 in which said resilient sheet is folded to constitute a tubular cover extending above and below and enclosing the envelope, the upper portion of said sheet being perforated in the area above said receptacle.

4. A pneumatic mattress as claimed in claim 1 in which said resilient sheet is permanently fixed to one side of said envelope and is detachably secured to the opposite side of said envelope.

5. A pneumatic mattress comprising a pneumatic envelope of a nonporous and impermeable flexible material having a non-inflatable portion shaped to provide a receptacle with a flat bottom wall when .the envelope is inflated, and a resilient, perforated, nonporous sheet tremovabl-y secured to said envelope overlying said receptacle and stretched to resiliently support a body above said flat bottom wall of the receptacle by the inflation of said envelope.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,615,175 Corakas Oct. 28, 1952 2,804,911 Howarth Sept. 3, 1957 2,815,516 Holton Dec. 10, 1957 2,924,832 Knowles Feb. 16, 1960 2,987,735 Nail June 13, 1961 

1. A PNEUMATIC MATTRESS COMPRISING A PNEUMATIC ENVELOPE OF A NONPOROUS AND IMPERMEABLE FLEXIBLE MATERIAL HAVING INFLATABLE HEAD AND BODY SUPPORT PORTIONS, A NONINFLATABLE PORTION IN SAID BODY SUPPORT PORTION SHAPED TO PROVIDE A RECEPTACLE HAVING A FLAT BOTTOM WALL AND UPSTANDING SIDE WALLS WHEN THE BODY SUPPORT PORTION IS INFLATED, AND A RESILIENT, PERFORATED, NONPOROUS SHEET REMOVABLY SECURED ONLY TO SAID BODY SUPPORT PORTION AND OVERLYING SAID RECEPTACLE, SAID SHEET BEING STRETCHED BY THE INFLATION OF SAID BODY SUPPORT PORTION ON WHICH IT IS SUPPORTED SO AS TO BE CAPABLE OF RESILIENTLY SUPPORTING A BODY ABOVE SAID BOTTOM WALL OF THE RECEPTACLE. 